Life Note
by FlamingSerpent
Summary: Shina moved to America with her family after her father quit the NPA because of the Kira incident. One day, she finds a Life Note, and with it, a Life God! Adventures await her. This story has mainly OCs. This story is my first fanfiction. In progress...
1. Chapter 1: Discovery

Sitting down in the school cafeteria with a little sigh, I placed my books beside me. It was the year 2012, and the month was November. At first glance, one would say I was an ordinary ninth grader who just came to a new school. In some ways, I suppose I _am_ pretty normal. I moved to the United States when I was twelve, from Japan. I still remember a lot about my old home. The reason my family moved was…because of Kira. Or the Kira's. Or how ever many there were. Anyways, my father was one of the NPA (National Police Agency) members who quit for fear of their lives. Enough about my old life.

Currently, I go to a regular American high school, a public one. Today was a regular, normal day, except at the end of fifth period. I walked through the long hallways, and usually I am not very clumsy. But today, I was. I tripped over something, and landed onto the floor, my books scattered everywhere! Grumbling to myself, I picked up my books. No one else was in the halls at the moment, and therefore, no one was there to help me. "Sheesh…" I muttered. "What could I have tripped on?!" Standing up, I turned around to see what I had tripped over. I leaned down and picked up a…book. _Huh? _I thought. _What…is this? _The book was pure white, and appeared to be a simple notebook. On the cover, scrawny letters read: "Life Note."

I glanced around myself, and opened it up cautiously. There was a "how-to-use" section of the book, but the rest of the pages were all blank. "What…?!" I whispered. Then, the warning bell rang. "Ah!" I stuffed the notebook under one of my binders and ran the rest of the way to my next class in a disgruntled hurry.

At the end of the school day, I had let out a long, slow sigh. I locked the house door behind me as I entered my home. My younger sister, Akako, bounded down the stairs to greet me. She was twelve years old, and a sweet little thing at that. "Shina!" she squealed with a grin. "Do you have homework?" I could tell that she was hoping I didn't have any. But, of course, I did.

"Sorry, Akako…I have homework…" I replied as I walked up the stairs to my room with my backpack. I shut the door and locked it quietly as I made my way to my desk. I slipped off my backpack and unzipped the largest pocket, taking out my binders and notebooks. Lastly, I removed the strange Life Note I had found. "Hm…" I was tempted to start reading the "how-to-use" pages…but my practical mind got the best of me, and won over the argument over my curious self. So, I stuffed the notebook back into my backpack, and started my homework. I made a mental note, however, to read the "how-to-use" pages later that night…or maybe the next morning. It all depended on how fast I could finish my homework.


	2. Chapter 2: Rules

That night, after my sister Akako and my parents went to bed, I was sitting at my desk reading the Life Note. The clock read 10:47. The first "how-to-use" rule of the Life Note said:

_The holder of a Life Note can not be killed by a Death Note._

"What the heck?" I mumbled to myself incoherently. "Is this…some kind of joke or something? Death Note? What's that?" I shivered…whatever it was, it seemed scary. But then I reminded myself, "This could all be phony, you know! Well, it probably _is_ phony…" I continued reading the rules, nonetheless:

_The human whose name is written in this note shall not die from the power of the Death Note. This note will not take effect unless the writer has the subject's face in mind while writing his/her name. This is to prevent people who share the same name from being affected._

_If the life alteration has not been specified within 40 seconds of the subject's name, the subject will simply not die from the power of the Death Note._

_If a life alteration has been specified within 40 seconds of the subject's name, it will happen. The details of the alteration should be entered within the next six minutes and 40 seconds._

"Wow…" I murmured. "Seems pretty complicated for a stupid notebook… Whoever wrote this put a lot of effort in!" I sighed, and figured that there was no way to prove whether this book was the real deal or not. There were still a lot of other rules, and I was too lazy to read them. So, I just flipped to a blank page and started writing some names in for the heck of it. "Akako Oshiro" – my lovable sister's name went in first. The scratch of my pencil on the lined paper sounded in my ears louder than it should have. I took a deep, steadying breath, and reminded myself, "Nothing to worry about; this probably isn't even real! Even so, it's a good thing I'm writing, right?" Next, my mother's name went in. And then my father's name. "Yuri Oshiro" and "Hideki Oshiro."

_Uh, that should be enough for now…_ I thought to myself. _No point in getting carried away… I guess I should go to bed now. _I closed the Life Note, stuffed it into my backpack, and then climbed into bed. I struggled to get to sleep, and after probably an hour, the stiff strings of dreams and unconsciousness pulled me away. 


	3. Chapter 3: Life God

The next morning, I woke up and donned a pair of dark indigo jeans, a red tee shirt, and a brown hooded sweatshirt. I hurriedly slipped on a pair of beat-up sneakers, and combed my long, black hair with utter haste. I slid on a brown and white dotted headband, and then slipped on some hair elastics onto my wrist. _School, _I sighed silently. I grabbed my backpack and bounded down the stairs while yelling, "Akako! Wake up!" I was like an alarm clock. 

The Life Note tugged hard at my mind, and nagged me. I wanted to read more of the rules, along with writing more names in. The idea of a Death Note freaked me out…but it also put me in awe. Part of me wished this was all a joke, but part of me wished it were all real. The term "Death Note" reminded me of shinigami. I shivered, recalling my dream from the night before. There were shinigami…and hideous, pitiful things they were. I shrugged off the recollections, and strode into the kitchen to grab something to eat.

Akako skipped in with a grin on her face. "Good morning, Shina!" she greeted in a peppy, cheerful manner.

"Hey," I replied. "What do you want for breakfast?" I snatched a container of yogurt from the refrigerator, and a spoon from the countertop. 

"I can get it myself," was my sister's reply. 

"Okay…" I shrugged and started eating my yogurt. Then, I started devouring a banana and a glass of milk. Akako ate her breakfast while rattling on about one thing or another. I wasn't paying much attention. Once it was time to go to school, I hurried out the door. Once I was on the school bus, I retrieved my white notebook cautiously. _I should probably read some other rules…_I thought to myself. _Hm…I shouldn't take all this too seriously. _I forced myself to not open the book, and just hold it tight. 

Soon, the bus stopped in front of my High School, and I got out of the bus with the rest of the bustling students. I made my way to homeroom, and slid into my usual seat. I let out a little sigh, still clutching the Life Note as if my very existence depended on it. My backpack was slung across my shoulder, and even though most of my books and binders were in my backpack, the Life Note was held close to my chest. Students chattered noisily, and I felt a bit nervous. _What if someone sees the book and asks me about it?! _I wondered silently, but anxiously. _Wait – why am I acting as if this is a secret or something? It's not like I'm breaking any rules or anything like that…_I shook my head firmly, ridding my mind of my strange thoughts. 

"Hello!" a squeaky voice called out to me.

"What?" I asked, wondering who it was. I looked around, but didn't see anyone looking at me, so I muttered, "Must've been my imagination…sheesh…" 

"Hello…" the high-pitched voice trilled out again.

It wasn't a figment of my imagination. I followed the sound with my eyes, and looked down. "_Ah!!" _I screamed. "What the heck?!" Down on the linoleum floor of the classroom was a…a…big pile of…something. It was like a monster of some sort. It appeared to be a big pile of some sort of goopy substance. The color seemed to be constantly changing. Violet one second, then red, and then the hue turned into a light cerulean. It didn't seem to be a person, or any type of discernable creature, but the thing had five eyes and a rough, jagged opening as a mouth. _It's like an alien…_I thought. Then, remembering my dream, _No…it's like a shinigami! _I shuddered. Then, remembering what was in front of me, I screamed again. All eyes in the classroom were on me.

"Are you okay?" a nice girl named Arielle asked in a concerned tone.

"Uh…yeah…" I managed to choke out. I brushed a loose strand of black hair back, embarrassed that I had screamed like that.

"Do you need to go to the nurse, Shina dear?" my homeroom teacher asked. She seemed as concerned as Arielle.

I waited a moment, in thought, before answering: "Yes please!" With my teacher's nod, I sprinted out of the classroom with the Life Note in my hand and my backpack on my shoulders…and the thing trailing behind me with all its gross goo.

"What are you?!" I hissed as softly as I could. _How do I even know if it can speak English…or any language for that matter?_

"My name is Torr," the creature said. "And I am…well, can you guess?" It smiled, revealing rows of shimmering, sharp teeth.

"Uh…A shinigami?" I smiled sheepishly.

"Wrong!" the thing shouted with strange glee. "I am not a Death God, like you think. Haha… you must have mistaken the Life Note for a Death Note! My, are you humans stupid!"

I glared at Torr, and grumbled, "I can read fine, thank you very much. And, yes, I know it's a Life Note. But still, you haven't answered my question: what are you?"

"Well, I am not as old as the Death Gods you speak of. In fact, I do not think I am old enough to be in the humans' ancient lore," Torr said. He chuckled under his breath, his laughter a strange yelping and coughing noise. His kaleidoscope-like body bounced up and down. "By the way, no one else can see me or hear me except for you because…I am…a Life God!"

"A Life God," I repeated, not convinced. "Right… I've never heard of those. Sounds cheesy to me."

"Exactly. I am not as old as Death Gods, like I said. But, I can assure you, there are more of my kind," Torr explained. "You are the lucky holder of a Life Note! Use it however you like, but you better use it well. It has one purpose, and one purpose only… well, one initial purpose anyways." Torr rolled all five of his colorful eyes. "Now…most humans who find the Life Note only use it to their own personal gains. Humans are such selfish creatures!"

"Wait, wait!" I hollered. "Back-track a bit, please…What's the initial purpose?"

"Ahem," the school nurse tapped her foot impatiently. My cheeks flushed a crimson shade, and I realized that I must have been appearing to talk to myself while standing outside the nurse's office. I probably looked like I was delusional.

"Uh…I didn't feel well," I said with an awkward grin. "But, uh…I think I am better now." I rushed to run back to class, yelling over my shoulder, "Thanks anyways; bye!" 


	4. Chapter 4: First Lie

Once I was home from school, I ran into my bedroom with nothing but a little, "Hi!" to Akako and then, "I gotta do homework!" As soon as I locked my door behind me, I turned to the Life God named Torr. He seemed amused by my cautiousness. I glared at Torr and demanded, "So, what's the purpose of the Life Note?!"

"Well, it was first created to defy the power of the Death Note. The Life Note came into existence as the ultimate weapon against the Death Note," Torr explained calmly. "You should read more of the rules to get acquainted better. Of course, most of the time, the Life Note's powers are abused…just as the Death Note's powers are." Torr's voice held a twang of sadness embedded throughout. He continued, "Not only can people be guarded from the Death Note by means of the Life Note, but the Life Note can make life alterations."

"Life alterations?" I questioned with a baffled expression stamped on my face. "What do you mean?"

"The Life Note can allow alterations concerning strengths and energies. For example, if you would like to gain speed or stay awake without growing sleepy, the Life Note can do that. You can specify details, too. There _are _rules though. For example, you cannot bring back the dead, regardless if they were killed naturally or by a murderer, or even by the Death Note," Torr explained.

"What happens if I try to bring back the dead?" I asked slowly. 

"You don't even want to try. It is impossible," stated Torr simply. His ever-changing colors shimmered with an ethereal aura, and he bounced up through the air, and landed on my desk. I hoped the goop wouldn't ruin the wood… 

Anyhow, I sighed, "Well, I guess I should read some more rules…"

_The Life Note will not affect those less than 780 days old._

_The Life Note will not affect those who are more than 124 years of age._

_You cannot set a life alteration date longer than the human's original life span._

_One page taken from the Life Note, or even a fragment of the page, possesses the full power of the note._

_Any writing instrument or medium may be used, as long as it can write directly onto the Life Note and create legible text._

_The pages of the Life Note will never run out. _

_The human who uses this Life Note can go neither to Heaven nor to Hell._

"Wait a minute!" I exclaimed with a little gasp escaping my lips. I quivered a bit as I asked in a whisper, "What does this mean?!"

"My apologies, Shina, for not explaining that earlier," the Life God replied with a little, lop-sided smile. He certainly did not look sorry at all. "The rules are very similar to that of the Death Note."

"I know the Death Note seems like a bad thing, and the users can't go anywhere after death…but what about the Life Note?! It's supposed to be good for crying out loud!" My voice rose to a bit of a desperate yell. I didn't want to have an empty nothingness after death…I just didn't want to!

"Calm down!" Torr commanded. "Just because everyone else can't see or hear me doesn't mean everyone else can't see or hear you!"

All of a sudden, I heard a knock on my door. I held my breath for a split-second. "Hello? Shina-chan?" was my little sister's voice. "Mother wants to know what you're yelling about…"

"Oh, nothing, Akako! Um…sorry if I worried you. I am just sort of upset about my homework," I paused for a moment. "Oh! Now I get it! Okay, well, bye!"

"I thought I heard you say something about a Life Note and a Death Note…" my sister said slowly through the door. 

I tossed the Life Note into my backpack, and replied hurriedly, "Oh, really? Haha… oh, Akako! You are so funny sometimes! A "what Note" did you say? Why would you think I was saying something like that? What is a Death Note or a Life Note anyways?"

I heard my sister's footsteps softly pattering away down the stairs, and then let out a long, heaving sigh of relief. Torr chortled rather rudely, and shouted sarcastically, "Wow! You are such a _good _liar!" Torr thundered out in laughter.

"Shut up!" I started to yell, but turned it into a whisper. I didn't want my mom or sister to think something wacky was going on in my head. "Ugh…You are so annoying…" I rolled my eyes as Torr continued to laugh. _Hm…_ I thought to myself. _I suppose if I really do want to take this all seriously, I should develop better lying skills…Wait! What am I thinking?! Lying is bad! Geez…Something is totally wrong with me! But…I suppose lies _are_ a necessity, considering my situation._


	5. Chapter 5: Fly

_The owner of a Life Note can recognize the image and voice of the original owner – a Life God, for example._

_If you lose the Life Note or have it stolen, you will lose its ownership unless you retrieve it within 490 days._

_When the owner of the Life Note dies while the note is on loan, its ownership will be transferred to the person who is holding it at the time. If the Life Note is stolen and the owner is killed by the thief, its ownership will automatically be transferred to the thief. _

_Even if you do not actually possess the Life Note, you may still use it to full effect._

_The human owner of a Life Note is possessed by its original Life God owner until he or she dies._

_You may write down your own name into the Life Note, and a life alteration, but the effects will only be temporary. You may still repeat the same life alteration again after six minutes and forty seconds from the time the life alteration disappeared. However, life alterations on other people will be permanent. There is no way to erase a life alteration once the person's name is written down. _

"Argh…" My head buzzed with slight dizziness as I read through more of the rules. "Why does there have to be so many rules?!" I muttered under my breath. "This is all so…confusing!" So far in the book, I had only written three names – my close family. I didn't specify anything though, and wondered just exactly what sorts of life alterations I could perform on myself. My eyes stared at the open Life Note in front of me, on my desk. "Hm…"

"What are you thinking?" Torr inquired.

"Just…thinking," I answered with a grin.

"You didn't answer my question!" Torr hissed, obviously annoyed.

I decided to test out the Life Note. Snatching a blue pen from my pencil box on my desk, I opened up to the same page that I had written Akako's name. I wrote down: "Shina Oshiro – ability to fly without wings." I rolled my eyes, and showed it to Torr. "I doubt that would actually happen," I said with a little giggle.

Torr smirked, as if he knew something I didn't, and crooned, "Well, try it out!"

"Okay, whatever," I muttered. "What am I supposed to do anyways? Just jump up or something." I shrugged, and stood on my chair, jumping up. "Ow!" My head hit the ceiling and I wondered why I was stupid enough to even try flying…but then I suddenly realized that I…was really flying! I hovered in the air, without my arms or feet touching anything, and it seemed so…effortless. I didn't even have to exert myself in order to fly! I was just…floating. It was the weirdest, but most amazing, experience of my life. I was completely and utterly speechless. My dark brown eyes were wide, and my mouth was gaping open.

"It's rude to stare!" Torr trilled with a happy-go-lucky, lopsided grin. He laughed; I was still speechless.

Finally, I willed myself down to the floor, and I landed silently, and strangely, with elegance. "Wow," I managed to choke out. Torr continued to laugh. I glared at him for a moment and hissed, "Stop it! That's how you would react too! That is, if you were a human." I thought to myself as Torr's laughter died out, _Wow…I flew! That was so…awesome! This definitely proves it. The Life Note is real…and very powerful. _Then, I remembered the rule about loaning and stealing notes. _I must not let this notebook fall into the wrong hands. If someone with bad intentions got hold of the Life Note…well, that would pretty much be the end of the world. _I shivered.

Then, Torr added absentmindedly, "By the way, I am not lying or saying this sarcastically, but I feel like you have a right to know."

"What?"

"Well, there is a shinigami nearby. I think he dropped his notebook."

My stomach gave a lurch after that last statement. My stomach nearly flew… and I no longer liked the idea of flying. The intensity of my current situation suddenly hit me – for real. This was not a game. This was serious.


	6. Chapter 6: First Death

The next day, at school, I walked through the hallway with Torr at my heels. The people around me were so oblivious! I was nearly positive they did not believe in shinigami, and probably had never heard of Life Gods before. Everyone at school, students and teachers alike, were probably unaware and ignorant of the power of the Death Note. Everyone was so…so…vulnerable! _I don't want to believe this is real, but it is. It's all very real. And dangerous. _I thought to myself with a heaving sigh. Then, the inner truth suddenly hit me. _I am the only one who can save everyone. I am the only one who can defeat the Death Note! Oh my God! _My eyes blazed with a bit of fear and a creeping nervousness, but soon, that fiery spark in my eyes turned into sheer determination. _I can do it! _

"What are you thinking…?" Torr asked. I refused to answer at first; I was in the middle of the hallway after all. Then, I realized all the students were noisy as ever, and chattering away. No one would notice if I talked too, right?

"Oh, nothing really…" I said out loud. No one noticed. "Hm…" I lowered my voice to a whisper, Torr bouncing up into my arms alongside my books as I did so: "Do you know who the you-know-what note holder is?"

"I would tell you if I knew…but I don't know," replied Torr sadly. "I really would tell you. I like humans! They are pitiful, little creatures that don't deserve the burden of loved ones dying by a pen."

"What?!" I screeched. "Did you just call humans pitiful?!" All eyes turned on me in the hallways. "Uh…" I shuffled my feet as I walked sheepishly. "Don't mind me." I grinned, as if proof I was fine. Everyone carried on with their journeys to their various homerooms. I entered my homeroom, and someone glanced at me with a concerned face.

Brushing her blonde hair back with one hand, Arielle asked, "Shina? Was that you screaming earlier?"

"Uh…yeah," I answered with a smile. "It was nothing. I just realized something…crucial. It's all silly really." I quickly thought up a good lie, and was surprised and impressed with myself. I could tell Torr was too. "You see, I thought I forgot to do my Algebra homework, and screamed out of stressed-out exasperation. But then, I realized I didn't have any Algebra homework!" I giggled softly.

"Oh, wow!" Arielle giggled too; she believed my lie. "That's funny! That actually happened to me before!" Arielle turned around in her seat to talk to someone on the other row.

"My, you are becoming quite the liar!" Torr announced with a lopsided grin as he bounced up and down on my desk. I glared at him and stuck my tongue out.

"Whatever," I said. Then, my classmates started chattering loudly. The teacher should have been in by now, but she wasn't. I figured she probably ran into traffic or something, or a substitute teacher was on her way. But then, there was loud yelling and yelping outside in the halls. Everyone in my homeroom rushed outside, and some stared out from within the doorway. "What the heck is going on?" I muttered under my breath. Torr appeared to be concerned. I rushed to the door, and elbowed my way out. I stood still, breathless. My teacher, Miss Tarson, was lying on the ground. "What the heck?!" This time I yelled. The hallways were clattering and vibrating with a panic-soaked air, and the teacher next door called the ambulance. I managed to turn around, and re-enter the classroom.

I heard Torr say, "It's…it's the work of the Death Note.

I didn't gasp; even if I didn't want to admit it, I saw it coming. _Is the current owner of a Death Note in my school? _I wondered. _He or she could be a teacher…or a student…Oh my God! What if I know the Death Note owner?! What if he or she tries to…to…kill me?! _I started to panic. It was quite possible that I could be killed. No, it was more than 'quite possible.' It was highly possible, especially if the Death Note owner knew about the Life Note. Then, I recalled, _Oh, nevermind… I cannot be killed by the power of the Death Note, since I am the holder of a Life Note. …Phew… I was really nervous right there. _Even though I, myself, could not be killed by the Death Note, I knew that many others could be killed. And… I was the only one who could save them. I hoped I could save them in time. So far, I only had three names in my Life Note. I knew I had to write more than that to actually make a difference. I had to make a difference. I had to save my school.


	7. Chapter 7: Names

It was the first week of December, and Miss Tarson's death was brushed off as simply a normal heart attack, nothing more. But I knew different. And, so did my father. He was no longer part of the NPA, or any police association for that matter, but he still had his own instincts. Now, he worked as an accountant, but he would come home from work muttering about a new Kira. I heard him mutter to himself once, "Kira… that mass murderer has come back for sure! Heart attack…he killed with heart attacks!"

I shuddered, remembering how many lives had been taken by Kira. Never had I suspected that Kira could have killed with the power of a Death Note. Now that I think about it, killing with the Death Note was the only possible way people could have killed through heart attacks! Anyhow, I was glad no one else died at school lately. It was…relaxing, in a way. But I knew I couldn't relax for long. Torr warned me often not to let my guard down. He usually nagged me about using the Life Note more, to write more names down.

Anyhow, during homeroom, I scribbled down some random names. "Arielle Tingsworth" was one of them, along with various people in my homeroom. Then it hit me that I didn't know how to spell some of their last names, and so, I left their names out of the Life Note. I comforted myself, _I'm sure they won't be killed by the Death Note… I cannot save everyone, anyways. It's not like I'm a superhero or something! I don't even have to save anyone if I don't want to! _As the first period bell rang, I ran off to my science classroom, with Torr bouncing inside my zipped-up binder. I could hear Torr's muffled voice complaining; I had stuffed him in there against his free will. But, I could hardly hear his voice since it was so stifled and quiet from within my binder.

Sliding into a seat, I was soon told to stand up by my science teacher. He announced, "Today we will be assigning your lab partners for the rest of the year. The frog dissection is next week, and complaining about your partner is not allowed. You have to work with your partner even if you don't want to. Your grades depend on it! The partners have already been randomly chosen by me."

I silently sighed, in my thoughts. _I hope I get a good partner…someone who is relatively nice, not mean, not grumpy…someone who will not make me do all the work, but won't do all the work himself. _I sighed, this time out loud. Mr. Renman read down his list, assigning the partnerships officially. The classroom was like a bee's busy hive; everyone was whispering and chattering. Some people lightened up and smiled after they found out who their partner was, and others moaned and groaned as if in pain. Soon, my name came up, and I found out who my partner was.

"Alyson Kenderson." The name echoed a bit in my head. I wasn't in joy, like some people, but I wasn't sad either. I didn't know Alyson very well, but I suppose she was pretty nice. I glanced over at her; she was sitting two rows away. Alyson was twirling her curly brown hair around one finger, and then she returned my glance. She was not very tall, but not short either. She was average height, average appearance, average…everything. She was probably your most typical teenage girl. She wasn't too noisy in class, but wasn't silent either. She had a small circle of friends who were pretty sociable, and was quite sociable herself. I was never a friend of hers though; we only talked if we had to, or maybe just a compliment or a 'hello.' She had been in most of my classes since I had moved to the United States, though. Alyson was a nice girl, and no one could really hate her. But, she wasn't one of the 'popular' kids either. She really was just…average.

Alyson smiled at me, and mouthed, "Hi!" I smiled back, and was relieved that she hadn't changed much from when I had last seen her. Alyson was still friendly as ever_. She would make a good lab partner, _I figured.

"Now, please move your seat so you are sitting next to your lab partner if you are not so already," Mr. Renman requested in his clear, deep voice. Alyson got out of her chair and sat in the now-empty seat beside me, dropping her books on her new desk.

"I guess we're partners now, Shina!" she said pleasantly. There was a cheery overtone to her voice.

"Who's that?!" Torr exclaimed; I ignored him.

"Yup!" I replied to Alyson. "Wow…dissection next week! I've dissected an earthworm in eighth grade, but I think this'll be different!"

"No kidding!" Alyson grinned. "I can't wait to cut open the frog! Cutting open the smooth skin, the internal juices oozing out, the – "

"Uh…I get it," I cut in rather harshly. I wasn't grossed out or anything; it was just…weird. It was weird that Alyson seemed to be looking forward to slicing open the creature. It seemed as if she enjoyed…cutting stuff. _There's probably nothing wrong with that; I am over-reacting, _I thought. There was a long, awkward silence between us. The silence was like that before a battle, a tense time of twilight that is still as a stone, but emotions run strong beneath the surface of the mind's ocean. Finally, I said something to break the stillness, "Ahem. Well, I guess we will dissect the frog next week…"

Alyson smiled weakly, and replied, "Yes, I guess so…" Her voice was soft, and sounded a bit hurt. I felt bad now, guilt flushing in my face.

"Mmfph!" Torr's muffled voice came out from inside my binder. It seemed frantic, and I wondered, _What the hell is it this time?! Sheesh… the Life God just won't shut up, will he? I bet he's just faking his desperation in order for me to let him out. I won't fall for that!_

"Are you okay?" Alyson asked, a concerned look on her face.

I realized I blanked out for a moment, and then I noticed how her facial expression was similar to that of Arielle's. I smiled; I was much more comfortable with Alyson now. She cared, and had obviously recovered from whatever sad emotions she had felt earlier. I was glad we were on good terms again, and said, "Yeah… I am fine. I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"About how the dissection will be so much fun!" I shouted enthusiastically. "Uh-oh…" I mumbled. All eyes turned to me, and I felt my cheeks burn red. My face was probably crimson.

"I am glad you feel that way!" Mr. Renman said.

"Mmfph!" Torr's voice sounded again. I rolled my eyes, wondering why he was being so persistent. He would just have to wait until school was over. _He probably just wants me to write more names. Well, later I can write 'Alyson Kenderson' into the Life Note. Yeah, I should do that! _The redness in my face faded away like the evanescence of mist in the dewy dawn hours, and I decided that writing names wasn't that hard to do. I just had to write names. And writing names, simply writing someone's name, could save lives. All I needed was a pen and the Life Note, and knowledge of full names. How hard could that be?


	8. Chapter 8: Discussions

I stepped out of the school bus, walking down my short driveway. I heard the sound of the bus's rumbling as it drove down the street. I unlocked my front door, slid into my home, and locked the door behind me.

"Shina!" Akako called happily, racing to the door to greet me.

"Hey, there!" I said with a smile. Akako could always put a smile on my face. "Please don't disturb me when I work on homework, okay?"

Akako nodded, and agreed, "Okay!" She sprinted to the kitchen humming some silly little tune.

"Good afternoon, Shina!" my mother said, exiting the kitchen.

"Hello, Mom!" I said.

"I am so happy that your father has seemed to have dropped his worries of Kira coming back!" my mother said with a grin.

"Yeah! As if Kira would ever come back… a serial killer who kills with heart attacks, eh? Sounds like a sci-fi story!" I said with a laugh. "The case _was_ solved though, right?"

"Hm…yes. But I don't think the NPA made it public. The answers to the mystery I mean."

"I wonder how Kira had killed…" I said out loud. It seemed like the natural thing to say, even though I knew that Kira had murdered people with the Death Note.

"Yes, it remains a mystery," my mother nodded. "I am so disgusted by all the Kira-worshippers though. Worshipping a "God" who is a mass murderer! It's degrading and disgusting!"

"Mmhmm… It seems strange that people would think a murderer is "God." Sure, Kira killed criminals, but he himself is a criminal too! So what makes him "good?" Well, I suppose "good" is overrated. People who are "good" have some bad in them, I guess. And anyhow, Kira had murdered FBI agents too! What makes him so great if he murders good people alongside bad people? It's not even good to kill criminals! But then again, what exactly is a "good person" or a "bad person?" Hm…" I blabbered. I suddenly realized I was rambling out loud. "Oh! Well, I'll be off to work on homework now!"

"Okay," my mother responded as she turned back to the kitchen to check up on Akako.

I let out a sigh, and marched upstairs. Once I entered my room, I made sure to lock the door. I flung my backpack to the floor, and then sighed again, sitting down in my seat at my desk. I unzipped the main pocket of my backpack, and removed a binder. Unzipping it, Torr plopped out in one big glob of ooze and eyeballs.

"Why the heck did you keep me locked up in there for?!" Torr demanded, obviously mad. "And ouch! Did you have to throw your backpack like that?!"

"Oops…sorry. I forgot you were there…" I replied sheepishly. "Um… And the reason I locked you up was so you wouldn't distract me from school…"

"Oh, because school is more important than saving lives!" Torr muttered with his voice dipped in pure sarcasm. Then, all five of his differing eyes widened, and he shouted, "Oh! Oh oh oh! I just remembered something! I was trying to tell you before, but _no_, you just _had_ to lock me up in that stupid quagmire of paper!"

"By 'quagmire,' you mean my binder?" I asked with a little chortle. _'Quagmire' is a queer way to describe my…binder. _

"It's not funny! Seriously, my body was…flattened against paper! It was more uncomfortable than you will ever know! Just _you_ try being stuffed into a binder against your will!"

"You make it sound like some sort of crime…"

"It should be!" Torr screamed. Then, he got back to the point: "Uh…anyways, what was I saying?" He paused for a moment, thinking. His lips were parted in thought, and his multiple eyes all squinted. "Oh, yes! The thing I was trying to tell you earlier that day! While being locked up in your _binder_, I could sense the close presence of a shinigami. Well, I could sense the shinigami only for part of the day… And I am positive that the Death Note holder is…in your school! Probably a student. Of course, I couldn't see, so I am not sure who the Death Note holder is."

"Which periods did you sense the shinigami in?" My stomach clenched with anxiety.

"How am I supposed to know what periods it was?! Seriously…no one tells me, 'Oh, Torr, it's Period 2 now!' Or anything like that… I didn't even know the time! Um…it was …well, kind of after you got to school, but...uh…kind of before you…left school."

"Wow, that's helpful!" I said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes, and said, "So it was during school. I already know that!"

"Well, if _you_ would have just let me out of the binder, I could actually _see_, and therefore, tell you who the Death Note holder is! You obviously can't see the shinigami, since you are a mere human!"

"Well, it's not my fault I'm a human!" I sucked in a deep, calming breath. I was losing my temper, and had to get back under control. I uttered, more calmly, "Is there any way I can see the shinigami myself?"

"There is…one way," Torr answered quietly. "The Death Note holder could allow you to touch the Death Note, or a piece of the Death Note, and you would be able to see the shinigami. But that's highly unlikely."

"Oh. Hm… well, how about instead of me looking for the shinigami, I look for the Death Note holder? Can I tell who the holder is?"

"Uh… if you spot a black notebook, or the black spine of a notebook, you could check it out and see if it's the Death Note. Or if it looks suspicious I guess. But, it's still better for me to see for myself. It would be easier too."

I sighed, and agreed, "I guess so…but you better promise to not talk to me or distract me in class! I don't want to seem like some sort of psychotic weirdo."

"I cannot promise to that."


	9. Chapter 9: Kira

The next morning was a nice Tuesday morning. Sitting in homeroom, I was idly chatting to Arielle. "It's too bad we're not in the same science class," I murmured.

"Yeah," she responded with a grin. "But we're both doing the dissection! Who's your partner?"

"Oh, my partner is Alyson. Alyson Kenderson," I replied. Then, I realized I never got the chance the night before to write down her name! I didn't want to take out the Life Note from its spot nudged between two binders right then and there. I made a mental note to do it later. Torr was sitting on my head, and I hated feeling the ooze all over my hair. It was slimy, and I felt like everyone was staring at Torr. But, no one was. It was just me being my self-conscious self.

"Oh, Alyson is nice! I got Daniel McRoram." Arielle made a face. She obviously didn't like Daniel very much. Even though he was annoying and all, I still wrote down his name yesterday during homeroom. He was in my homeroom, and as obnoxious as he was, I would prefer it if he was alive and not dead.

_Wow, _I mused to myself silently. _It's surprising how sometimes, you think the world would be better off without someone…but when you truly think deep about it, the world would_ not_ be better off without that person. I mean, I am sure Daniel bullies a lot of other people, and they hate him, but he doesn't deserve to die. Right? Even if he's bothersome, that doesn't mean he should die! I guess murder is still murder, no matter your reasons or the people you murder. I wonder if Kira is going to kill any students? No one has died yet besides Miss Tarson. _"Hm…"

"Hello? Earth to Shina!" Arielle cut into my thoughts like an arrow piercing through a thick cloud.

"Oh!" I tensed up from in my seat. "Sorry…I was thinking." I sheepishly scratched my head, and then accidentally scratched Torr. "Sorry!" I said again, this time apologizing to Torr.

"Yes, you better be sorry!" Torr grumbled under his breath. "Still no sign of the shinigami nearby. The Death God could easily be on the other side of the school, or another floor, without me sensing him."

I didn't bother to answer Torr, and instead, said to Arielle, "So why do you think Miss Tarson died?"

"Huh?" Arielle was a bit surprised by my sudden question. "Well…I guess it was her weak heart."

_Good, _I thought. _No one suspects Kira. If they did…well, I could be a suspect too! Especially since I have the Life Note. If the police, FBI, or CIA know about the Death Note…well, they might think I have the Death Note! I mean, "Life note" seems just as suspicious if they saw it. _"Yeah, I guess it was a weak heart," I sighed. "Poor Miss Tarson… She was a really nice teacher. I guess that's why you shouldn't eat too much foods with high cholesterol."

Arielle giggled despite the topic. "Yup!" she chirped. "I don't eat much cholesterol anyhow, so I have a strong heart!"

"Same here! That's good; we both have no chance of dying. Dying through heart attacks, that is!" I smiled; I had told the truth. Neither one of us would be killed by Kira. There was no chance of it at all, since I was the Life Note holder. And Arielle's name was already written down correctly in the Life note.

* * *

"That's…that's Kira!" Torr screeched.

I leaped up out of my seat, and then clasped a palm over my mouth. _Oh my God. Why the heck did I have to jump up like that?! Good thing I didn't yell anything weird…_ I thought. I sat myself back down into my seat firmly, with my jaw tight and tense. My cheeks were blushing a bright scarlet hue, and I nestled my head in between my arms, on my desk. I hoped no one was staring at me. "Who?" I whispered as softly as I could.

Torr replied, "That…that girl! I will point her out!" I lifted up my head from my desk, and watched as Torr leaped from my desk to her desk. He formed a sloppy, malformed finger with his gooey body and pointed at…

"Alyson!" I was shocked. So…shocked. Torr hurdled back to my desk in a little, flinging motion. _Alyson is Kira?! Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! No, no, no! My new lab partner is Kira?! And Alyson is…?! She's such a nice girl though. How could she be a murderer?! _I took a deep breath. _Calm down, _I reminded myself. _She has only killed one person. That's it. Maybe she accidentally killed someone. There's no need to freak out. I didn't freak out before. …Oh, who am I kidding?! Murder is murder! Accident or not! _

"Um…Shina?" Alyson said. She reached out and touched my arm. "Did you want to say something? You just yelled out my name…"

"Oh!" I forced myself to formulate a friendly smile on my face. I hoped it was convincing enough, but not phony. "I was just wondering if you knew…the homework last night! On question…well, what was it?" I opened up my science binder, and snatched my homework from a folder. "I wasn't really sure on this one," I explained. "I just guessed on it." I pointed to question number four with my pencil's red eraser. I had lied; I knew the multiple choice question's answer perfectly well. It was really easy.

"Hm… Really? I wasn't sure either. I got the same answer though! I'm sure you're right. Don't worry about it. Even if you _do_ get it wrong, it's just one problem on a homework assignment," Alyson comforted. For some reason, I wasn't really comforted. That made no sense, considering that I knew the answer. I felt my neck get sweaty.

"Kira! Kira! Kira!" Torr shouted. "Shinigami! Shinigami! Shinigami!"

"Shut up," I hissed at Torr under my breath.

"What did you say…?" Alyson asked.

_I gotta be careful, _I warned myself. _She's no idiot. I have to be careful around her. Talking to Torr is more risky than ever! _"Oh, nothing. I just said, 'What's up' because science usually comes easiest to me. It was weird how I didn't understand it. I always get mad at myself when I guess randomly on it. I suppose I could have estimated or something… Or maybe used the process of elimination…" Then, as Mr. Renman commanded the whole class to quiet down, I shut my mouth. Deep down, I hoped that Alyson wasn't really Kira. But I knew Torr would never lie. I wished I could see Alyson's shinigami for myself, but I also didn't really want to. I wanted to because I was curious, but I didn't want to, because I pictured shinigamis in my mind as horrible, ugly creatures of creepiness. I let out a long, drawn-out sigh, and glanced at Alyson's desk from the corner of my eye. I could see the black spine of a notebook. I hoped it was just a black composition notebook…but the material looked similar to _my_ notebook. It didn't look like the tape of a composition notebook.

I turned my eyes back to my desk. _That's the Death Note, _I inferred. _That's the ultimate way to murder others. It must be so easy; all you have to do is write down names. _I touched the spines of my notebooks and binders, and felt the cold, mysterious material of the Life Note's spine. _And this is the Life Note. This is the ultimate weapon against the Death Note. I guess my job is easy too. All I have to do is write down names. I have to battle Kira no matter what. So far, only one person has died in the hands of the new Kira. I can't let any more people die!_

I nodded my head with a determined flame sparkling in my eyes. I knew what I had to do. I could fight Kira – by using my Life Note. Kira had to be stopped.


	10. Chapter 10: Dissection

The day of the frog dissection had approached quicker than I had expected. I acted as least suspiciously as I could while around Alyson. I took Torr's advice, and acted friendly, but not too friendly. I treated her as an acquaintance, just as I had before the dissection partner assignments. We weren't 'best buddies' but we weren't 'enemies' either. _Well, we are technically enemies…_I thought. _But she doesn't know that._

Torr bounced on top of my head, saying, "Tonight, after your homework's done, you gotta write more names down in the Life Note!" I had already written down two pages of names in the Life Note…but there seemed to be way too many names to write! Holding the scalpel in my hand, I examined the insides of the frog. I glanced over at Alyson, and moved a bit over to the left of the lab bench, allowing her to take her turn with the frog. I handed over the scalpel, which was now splattered with wet internal fluids and…other stuff.

Alyson grinned, and bounced up and down, reminding me of Torr for a split second. She didn't jump, since it wasn't allowed in the lab area. "Thanks!" she chirped. Then, she turned to poke at the frog's organs. She seemed to be enjoying the dissection much more than she should have…

I was about to sigh, but then caught myself. Instead, I smiled with a naturally relaxed facial expression. I was getting better at acting and lying by the minute. But, I didn't like it. _Why do I have to be dishonest…? _I wondered. _I don't like it one bit. But, sadly, it's necessary…_

"Shina-chan!" Alyson said, pointing to the frog with a plastic-gloved finger. "I think our frog is… I mean, was, pregnant!"

I didn't like that fact that Kira used a Japanese friendly suffix with my name. I wondered how she knew "chan" in the first place, but figured that she was probably an anime or manga fan…or something. "Hm…?" I asked, leaning over the frog and peering down at it. "Whoa!" The insides of the frog had little black…dots. They were probably eggs! "That's amazing!"

"Mmhmm." Alyson raised her hand, and asked the teacher sweetly, "Excuse me, Mr. Renman? Can you come over and take a look at this? I think this frog has eggs!"

Mr. Renman strolled over grumpily; he was obviously not in a good mood. I assumed that some of the boys were fooling around or something. "What?" He demanded roughly. Alyson pointed with her scalpel, and I pointed with my finger. He examined the eggs for a moment, nodded, and then turned away.

"Mean, much?" Alyson whispered to me.

"Yeah," I replied quietly. "He should appreciate us being smart enough to notice!"

"Yep. Mt. Renman isn't just in a bad mood today. He's always mean. I wish he would just disappear, or change, or _something_."

"Wait – what?!" My eyes widened. I hoped she wasn't planning to kill him…but even if she was, I had written his name down last night in the Life Note. Luckily.

"Don't you hate him too?"

"Uh…Sometimes. He could be a lot worse, though."

"True, but you could make the world a lot better if he wasn't around."

I didn't answer, and instead waited a moment, silently. I asked to have the scalpel again.

* * *

"Ugh…" I came home, and grabbed a banana off the fruits' basket on the kitchen table. The school day was pretty good, but I was constantly worrying about Kira. And who she would kill next. I had written down a good deal of names in the Life Note, and thought I covered all my teachers, everyone in my grade, and past teachers and some of my sister's friends. I peeled the banana, and ate it as Akako came in to greet me.

"Onee-chan!" She gave me a hug from behind. "How was the dissection?"

"Good, good…" I finished my banana and threw the peels into the trash can.

My mom shouted happily, on the phone, "Your father's coming home early!"

"Really?" Akako and I both asked in unison.

"Yes! I know why, but you two girls will find out later." My mom winked. "It will be a surprise!" My mom made her way to the living room to watch a bit of television.

"A surprise?! I love surprises!" Akako sang out.

I giggled, and crooned, "Yeah, me too!" I tousled her neck-length hair, and she made a face.

"I wish I had long hair like you, Shina-san!" Akako said, sticking out her tongue.

"Well, it'll grow out! Don't you worry about it," I assured. "Well, I should probably do homework now…" After giving my sister another hug, I dashed up the stairs two at a time. Torr clung to my head shakily.

"Not so fast, jeez!" Torr yelled.

I ran into my room, shut and locked my door, and then replied to Torr, "That wasn't even fast." I stuck out my tongue, plucked him off my head, and plopped him onto my desk. "Hm… I wonder what Kira is doing right now…"

"Well, I don't know. So don't look at me."

"I'm not!" I rolled my eyes, and I retrieved my math binder, and started on my trigonometry homework. I asked silently as I calculated the measurements in my head, _Is Alyson doing her homework like me? Or…is she using her Death Note? Or maybe she's neglecting both of those? She might be just hanging out with friends. Hm…Well, I should probably place all my focus on my math homework. _I got rid of all my questions and non-homework-related thoughts, and then concentrated solely on the numbers on the worksheet.

* * *

"I'm home!" My father announced. Glancing at the clock quickly, I noticed that it was four pm. He was right; he was home early. I sauntered downstairs, with my sister trailing behind me.

We both called out, "Hello!" And gave him a hug.

"What's the surprise?" Akako asked with sparkling, brown eyes.

"Ha, always one to cut to the chase, eh?" he replied with a chuckle.

Akako and I giggles in unison, and nodded. "Yes?" I asked. "So, what is it?"

"I got a new job!" my father said. "A friend of mine, and your mother, encouraged me…and I decided."

"Decided on what?!" Akako inquired excitedly.

"I am now working in the police force, here. Since I had a lot of experience in the NPA, I was able to get a job there."

My stomach clenched. I felt as if…I was being dissected. _No! What happened to Dad quitting his job so that we'd be safe?! I thought he didn't want to be in the police force…_ I choked out, trying my best to seem casual, "Uh…I thought you didn't want to be a policeman..."

"Oh, the only reason I quit the NPA was because of the Kira Case. Now that that's all over, I've decided to return to my calling!"

My mother laughed lightly, and added, "Mmhmm. Your father is always a man of justice at heart!"

"Right…" I said. I managed to smile. _Oh, great, _I thought sarcastically. _This means that we will all be at a higher risk of being chased by Kira. Luckily, my family's names are in the Life Note. Ugh…who would've thought dissection day would turn out to really…dissect me! I can hardly keep up with what's going on! _I heard Torr whining upstairs, and figured he was getting lonely or something.

"Are you okay?" my father asked me.

I guess I seemed a bit distracted. My voice came out like a stormy wind cloaked in the disguise of sunlight and gentle breezes, "Yes! I am just surprised that you actually are a policeman again! Wow…"

"I want to be in the police when I grow up!" Akako sang out. "Just like Daddy!"

My mom and I giggled in harmony. Akako was just so cute! And…those were the innards of my dissection day.


	11. Chapter 11: Publicity

Climbing up the stairs wearily, I wished that my father would just keep out of this whole police business. I knew that he was safe from the Death Note, but if he eventually got mixed up in the Kira case again, I really didn't know what I would do. He would be under so much stress, and pressure, and also…he find out about the Life Note. If he got mixed up in a new case, about the Death Note, then something about the Life Note was bound to pop up.

I swung open the door to my room, and was surprised to find Torr bouncing on my desk. His gooey, fluctuating body was twisted around my pencil container, which was basically a black cup. "What?" I asked in an annoyed manner. _What the heck does he want now?_

Torr motioned to the nightstand beside my twin size bed with his whole entire body. I sat down at my desk, and swiveling my spinning chair around to face the nightstand. On top was a television, a small one, which I hardly ever used. Its volume was turned down so low, it was only muted. There was a random commercial playing, and I rolled my eyes, staring at my plain white ceiling. "Uh…Torr? I really don't know what you're getting at." I glanced sideways at Torr. He released his grip on my pencil cup, and seemed to slither and ooze his way toward me.

"You missed it," he stated simply.

I waited for an explanation. When I received none, I asked in exasperation, "Missed what? Just spit it out!"

"The news," Torr replied a-matter-of-factly, still maintaining his calm. "You missed the news. Just now, there have been reports of numerous deaths. By heart attacks."

I stood still, my back arched straight, and my lips located in a tense line. I was speechless. I stared at Torr, then managed to sputter, "Wh-what…?! Could it just be some old people with heart disease?"

Torr shook what was probably his head from left to right, then back to the left. "No," he replied. "It could never be a coincidence. It has got to be Kira!"

I gulped. "Uh…were all the people who were killed living nearby? Perhaps at school? Maybe students or teachers?" I inquired uneasily.

"Not this time." There was a slight pause. "They were…criminals."

I gulped yet again. It was like reliving the Kira case all over again, except for the fact that I was tangled up in the mess more than I was with the old Kira case. I was more of a part of all this than the police, this time around. "But…I thought Alyson didn't kill anyone. She just…well, I figured that she might have killed Miss Tarson by accident or something. Like she didn't know."

"Well, if she didn't know then, she knows now!" Torr spat with contempt. "She's a serial killer, and she's on a roll! Look!" Torr pointed to the television with a roughly-created finger.

I dove for the remote control, which was lying on my bed, and then didn't even bother to get back to my desk's chair. I just sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the TV, pressing the "up" button for the volume. A pretty woman's voice trilled, "A handful of criminals have passed away due to heart attacks! Some of the criminals were found dead in their cells, and others died on-the-run before the police had a chance to arrest them! One man passed away during his court trial. Let's get back to Brian, with the news live."

The scene on the television flicked from the news' center to a prison. A man wearing a suit was standing on the right-side of the camera's view. He was holding a microphone, and spoke clearly: "Here is one of the many prisons that have been targeted by some sort of serial killing. Of course, the officials are not sure whether the deaths have simply been coincidence, or if it is a reenactment of the earlier Kira case. More information is sure to follow. Back to you, Cassie."

The anchorwoman from earlier reappeared on the screen. "Yes, and this news has stirred up quite a lot of people. Here we are in New York City, and outside our studio, a crowd of Kira-worshippers has gathered. Is Kira back? Many people ask this question. The Kira-worshippers seem to believe that indeed, he has come back." The view was replaced by a scene of New York City's Times Square. It was sunset, and the flashing neon billboards were gorgeous against the coral, pink, and violet skies. A bunch of people wearing cloaks were all holding signs and shouting at the same time, right outside the news' studio building. No one could really understand what they were saying, and only a few words were caught. "Kira!" and "God!" were some exclamations that were made. I didn't know that there were so many Kira-worshippers in the United States, or anywhere for that matter. Even if they had been quiet for a while, they were out in the open now. One man's loud voice rose higher than the rest. "Kira is God! And Kira is back!" he yelled. Others echoed, "Yes, Kira is back! Kira is back!"

Then, the reporter called Brian materialized on the television. A scrolling bar at the bottom of the screen flashed quick news, stuff about recent deaths. "Kira very well may be back. Another prisoner has just passed away, in this very prison!" Brian announced.

The screen went black as I turned off the TV. I didn't want to hear it. I just couldn't take it. I leaned my head forward, into my arms, and wept softly, and sniffled a bit. Torr was by my side in an instant. I choked out, "This is …this i-is…all my fault…"

"No, no, 'tis not!" Torr soothed. "The fault lies with Kira. Not with you. You are the savior, the hero who will help the world! You are not the murderer."

"B-but, I didn't even help…all…all those p-poor people...I, I mean, I know they are criminals,…bu-ut…" I stopped myself, and wiped my eyes hastily on my cotton shirt's sleeve. I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down.

Torr tried to comfort me, and he said, "You did what you could. At least you helped everyone at your school. Perhaps Kira tried to kill some of them, but it didn't work. In anger, maybe she decided to take it out on the criminals."

Torr was perfectly right. As my last tear dripped onto my cheek, I wiped it off with the back of my hand. My eyes were a bit pink from the crying, and so was my nose. My cheeks were flushed red with anguish. I got back my voice, and I began to say, "Maybe. But I could have – "

Torr cut me off: "Stop it! It's not your fault at all! Just stop saying what you could have done. You didn't, so you had better worry about the future! Not the past. You didn't know that Kira would have targeted criminals just like that. So, how about we try to fix this?"

"The Life Note!" I managed a little smile. Grabbing the white notebook, I jumped onto my bed, retrieving my laptop from under the folds of my sheets, and laying on my belly. I turned on my laptop, and said to Torr, "Come on! Let's go save some criminals!" I laughed inwardly; it seemed like a funny thing to say. The Kira case would probably be reopened, and I wondered if anyone knew that it wasn't the same Kira, but a different one. Torr was soon right by my side as my fingers tapped away at the keyboard. I accessed a newspaper's website fairly quickly, and then asked Torr, "A pen please?" I planned to write down as many criminals' names as I could, along with some random people in the recent news. I wanted to protect everyone that I could. I wanted to save peoples' lives. I wanted to make a difference. It was more than a want, actually. It was part of my being. I _needed_ to make a difference. The Life Note was a part of me, not just my life, and I had no choice but to comply with myself. I knew what I had to do, and I was going to do it. _It's going to be hard, _I thought. _But I'll just have to set aside a time everyday to write down names into the Life Note. _

My pen whizzed across the Life Note's pages at a great speed, and Torr watched in amazement. He shifted his view constantly from my pen, to my keyboard, and back to my pen; wherever my fingers were. I had a determined look in my eye, and I felt alert and…alive. It was a great feeling! _This must be the fuzzy feeling you get when you do something good. _


	12. Chapter 12: Obsession

Waking up, I immediately ran up to grab my Life Note. A few weeks had passed, and every morning I woke up with my laptop and my computer on, and my Life Note open. I had taken extra precautions to lock my bedroom door, with not only regular doorknob lock, but also an additional inner lock. One of those chain locks that you push left to right, so that even if you forget to lock the doorknob, if someone opens from the outside, they can't get it open more than a little crack. I installed that lock the week before. Actually, I never really forget to lock my bedroom door anymore, but it doesn't hurt to be careful. The Life Note wasn't illegal or anything. I just… I just thought it was a private matter.

My pen whizzed across the pages of the Life Note, writing the names of more and more criminals, movie stars, pop stars, and other random people. I asked my dad about his coworkers, and having their names memorized, I put all the policemen and secretaries into the Life Note. I had already finished putting in all my friends, classmates, teachers, and Shina's friends, classmates, and teachers into the Life Note long before. My hands were tense, drumming at the keyboard melodically, or writing away hastily. I occasionally switched the TV channel to a different channel in a robotic manner with a punch to the button.

Torr watched in mellow amusement. "You seem to be…pretty determined about battling Kira," he said loudly.

"Mmhmm…Yeah, I guess I am…" I mumbled, currently writing a bunch of people in trial. Then, I scratched in the name of a sports star. "Argh!" I groaned; my pen ran out of ink.

"Shouldn't you get ready for the day?" Torr suggested.

"It's the weekend!" I shouted automatically. "But…" I continued more slowly. "I guess I _should_ get ready…" I rolled my eyes, and closed the Life Note, and shut off my laptop by pushing the switch roughly. Running to my desk, I pressed the pen on a piece of scrap paper roughly. I scribbled a bit, and no ink came out. Past scribbles/pen tests were already on the worn-down piece of paper, reminiscent of past dead pens. This current black pen was obviously out of ink. It was dead. "Oh, geez…" I tossed the pen over my shoulder, having memorized the location of my trash can. It landed with a little 'thud,' amongst other pens of various colors – red, blue, black, and some neon gel pens. The trash can also held some pencil stumps – short, pathetic pencils with hardly anything left but the eraser and the pencil point.

"Come on, get changed!" Torr ordered. He grinned smugly, as if he knew something I didn't. I ignored him, and grabbed a knit cable sweater of plain black color, and red baggy sweatpants. Unlocking my door, I ran to the bathroom, I changed out of my blue checkered pajamas and into my messy outfit for the day. I quickly splashed water from the sink across my face, shivering a bit, before seizing my white face towel and wiping my face dry. I then sprinted out of the bathroom, and back to my bedroom, locking both locks on my door behind me. I tossed my pajamas onto the side of my bed, and announced in a sing-song, "Almost all ready, Torr!" I grabbed my brush, and brushed my black hair hurriedly. I parted my sweeping bangs speedily, and to my own shock, accurately. Returning my brush to its proper place, I exclaimed, "Ta-da!"

Torr was seated on top of the Life Note, and he said, "I suppose you could take a break from the Life Note now…"

"What do you mean? There is _no_ break in this job!" I chimed. I was in a good mood now.

"I mean, I think you have written enough names," Torr responded.

"Yes, but who knows what Kira could be doing right now. I would presume that she is writing away names! People to kill!"

"True, true… But perhaps you've written down the same people Kira's written down, except you were faster."

"Or maybe, not."

"Stop being so stubborn! I am positive that Kira is probably wondering why the Death Note is 'malfunctioning.' And, besides, don't you want to learn something new upon this beautiful, snowy Saturday?"

"Snowy?!" I ran to the window, for the first time since waking up. Peeking through the curtains, gorgeous clumps of snow rained down from the sky. My grassy front yard was already sprinkled over with a shallow layer of new fallen snow. It was a lovely sight! It was the first snow of the season. Then, turning back to Torr, I sighed with a relaxed undertone. "So," I said. "What do I want to learn…?"

"You still hardly know anything about Kira's shinigami, right?"

"Yeah…And you do?" I questioned with a little jeering tone.

"As a matter of fact, I can see him."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you know _that _much about him." I took a black ballpoint pen, sat down on my bed, turned on my laptop, and then opened my Life Note. I typed in the web address of my favorite search engine, and continued the task of saving lives.

Torr seemed to disapprove of my "saving lives" when he was trying to explain things, and muttered something incoherently. I only caught the words: "Shina," "obsession," and "whatever."

I pretended that I didn't hear anything. Torr cleared his throat, "Ahem. Anyhow, I don't believe that you know that much at all about shinigami either, except from what you've read in children's…what do you call them? Oh, fairytales. Or tall tales. Or…whatever. Anyhow, you probably don't even know much about Life Gods either. Do you want to learn more or not? Knowledge_ is_ power, after all…"

"Yeah, yeah… Continue," I said while writing a name. _Mmhmm. I guess learning more would help. Maybe I can find a weakness in the Death Note. Actually, there already is. The Life Note holds more power than the Death Note. Obviously. _I wrote my name into the Death Note, and then added in writing after glancing at the clock on my room's wall, "8:24 AM - Able to communicate through thoughts to Torr." I closed my eyes, envisioning Torr in my mind. I learned now, that you needed to have a strong mental connection with the Life Note in order for it to function properly. I wondered if the Death Note worked the same way.

I counted mentally: _Ten…nine…eight…sevent…six…five…four…three…two…one. One! _I grinned, to myself. _Hey, Torr! What's up?!_

"Ah!" Torr shrunk, on my bed's pillow, a bit. "What the heck is your problem?! Playing with the Life Note, are you?! You are obsessed with that thing!"

_Hey, hey…calm down! The effects are only temporary! _I giggled out loud. _I am taking 'a break.' Hehe… _


	13. Chapter 13: Shinigami

I slammed my Life Note's cover down abruptly, and shut off my laptop and flicked the TV off hastily as I heard a knocking at my door.

"Good morning, Shina-chan!" Akako's voice sang out. She was always happy, but today, she seemed exceptionally excited. "You forgot?!"

"Hm…?" I unlocked both locks on my door, and swung it open. "Forgot what?"

Akako's face was a mixture of shock, and a bit of sadness. "It's Christmas!" she shouted after a moment's pause. "How could you forget such a big day?!"

"Wh-what?!" Now, it was my turn to be shocked. "Christmas? December…25th?!" I knew the date; I always did. But, for some reason, the date and the holiday had never registered in my mind as one thing. It seemed as if…holidays were some unimportant notion. It was as if I couldn't piece together everything logically. The day and the rational meaning of the day didn't seem important. I shook my head fiercely, and then slapped a grin onto my face. "Haha… gotcha!" I laughed.

"Oh, you were joking?" Akako smiled, and then giggled. "That's a funny joke! I actually believed you! Ha ha…" She was her giggly, happy-go-lucky self again. That's my Akako-chan!

Torr rolled all five of his eyes, his gooey body lolling on my wooden desk. "I'll go down for breakfast then?" I suggested, more to Torr than to Akako. Walking back to my desk, I scooped up Torr as discreetly as I could, and then hollered suddenly, "I'll race you, Akako!" Akako giggled some more, and then bounded down the hallway, heading for the stairs. I snatched the Life Note from my bed, and stuffed it into my backpack, which was lying against one of my desk's stiff legs. "Hey, Torr, do Life Gods or shinigami celebrate any holidays?" I asked.

Torr sighed, "I don't think so."

"Oh, that's too bad…" I said. But, at that moment, I didn't care that much about the holiday. I just wanted to hurry up, and work on writing in the Life Note. "And about Alyson's shinigami… Could you tell me more about him? You can talk to me while I eat breakfast. Though don't expect any replies." I grinned, and then exited my room, closing the door, unlocked, behind me. I didn't have to lock the door when I wasn't writing in the Life Note, considering the fact that my family would never peek into my room when I wasn't in it. There would be no point.

Torr was cradled in my arms as I sprinted down the carpeted staircase, forcing myself to seem happy, cheery, and full of good, old fun. I planted Torr onto the top of my head, not minding the sticky feeling anymore.

"Breakfast!" my mother shouted, and my father greeted me with a wave. Akako was already sitting at the kitchen table, nibbling on a slice of buttered bread. I slid into the chair next to Akako, and across from my father, as my mother brought over a plate for me. Starting to eat my bread, I listened to Torr's speech. My parents' and my sister's voices seemed to blend and mash together incomprehensively. I nodded a bit, to my family, but focused completely on Torr.

"Okay, so anyhow, the current Kira's shinigami is not as old as most of the shinigami are," Torr started to explain. "He's actually a fairly new addition."

"What does he look like?" I asked softly, just loud enough for Torr to hear.

"What?" my father asked. "Did you say something, Shina?" I shook my head, and waited for Torr to continue.

"Hm…well, generally, shinigamis' appearances can vary from shinigami to shinigami. Kira's shinigami looks has a human-like figure – with arms and legs. He has a skull-like head, that's white, eye sockets but no eyes, a jaw lined with sharp, pointed teeth, and his skull is a bit elongated. It's not a short, fat skull. It's a bit more thin, but not to an excessive extent. He wears slightly raggedy clothing, and he wears aviator-style goggles on his white head. That is basically what he looks like," Torr described.

I was amazed by the description, and pictured the shinigami in my mind. "Wow…" I breathed. Then, to let my parents and Akako know I was listening to them, I added, "What are we going to do today?"

My mother suggested, "Maybe you and Akako could go and play out in the snow."

I knew I was a bit old for 'playing out in the snow,' but Akako enjoyed it. So, I nodded and agreed, "Yeah, we could build a snowman or something." _Or a snow-shinigami, _I thought with an internal giggle. I finished my breakfast, and then said, "Okay, I'll be upstairs brushing my teeth."

My parents nodded, and I slipped out of my seat, bounding up the stairs to the bathroom. "Do shinigamis have names?" I asked once I shut and locked the bathroom door behind me.

"Yes! Just like Life Gods," Torr replied. "I suppose you want to know the name of Alyson's shinigami." I bobbed my head up and down enthusiastically as I started to brush my teeth. The cool, minty flavor engulfed my taste buds, the flavor tingling my tongue. I looked into the mirror, Torr on my head, looking at my reflection. I wondered why Torr was pausing, and figured silently, _He's pausing for dramatic effect. Geez, get on with it already!_

"His name is Raito."


	14. Chapter 14: Game

Back to school! The Winter Holiday vacation flew by so quickly! I was shocked that I was still getting A's in class. We got our first semester report cards when we got back to school, and sure enough, I made High Honor Roll. I was proud that I could write names into the Life Note every day, and also complete all my homework assignments, and study for exams. Now, it was February 2013. A new year.

Anyways, Alyson and I had become 'friends.' Well, as much as friends as possible, I guessed. I was not sure if she knew about the Life Note or not. We worked on science assignments together, and we occasionally hung out. I knew who she really was, but she didn't know that I had that knowledge. Luckily.

I really wanted to see what Raito, the shinigami, looked like for myself…but I guess I was too much of a chicken to touch Alyson's Death Note. I saw the Death Note, sure, but did I want to try to touch it? No. Alyson always held it near her, or she placed it down by her side in a cluster of notebooks and school binders, or between a manga and a novel. If she saw me trying to touch the Death Note, she…well, I probably would have been in major trouble. Torr warned me that Alyson might already know that I had the Life Note, depending on how smart her shinigami was. In addition, I was quite sure that Alyson attempted to kill somebody with the Death Note who didn't die, because of my Life Note.

I sat in homeroom, and listened to Torr ramble a bit. "Well, it might be useful for you to be able to see Kira's shinigami. So, maybe, you can hear him and stuff," Torr said. "You could try to 'accidentally' touch Alyson's Death Note. You might be able to pretend to be happy, and then give her a hug…and then actually touch her Death Note 'by accident.' Well, if you ever see an opportunity, don't let it go to waste! Then, just 'accidentally' see the shinigami and pretend to freak out. Then, maybe you'll find out what Kira will do. Will she pretend that you're crazy? Say something like, "What are you saying, Shina-chan?" Or will she pretend to see it, and feign innocence? Maybe, Alyson might just admit she's Kira…and if she does that, then will she say she knows you're the Life Note holder? Or will she honestly not know anything? Or maybe, she would pretend that she doesn't know that you are, when in reality, she knows everything!"

I sighed, rolling my eyes as Torr started to panic a bit. The teacher finished taking attendance, and the Period One bell rang through the school, dismissing the homeroom classes. I ran out of the room, clutching my binders (with the Life Note on the top) to my chest. I thought about what Torr had said earlier, and formulated a plan on how to touch the Death Note. I took a deep breath, and then dashed down the hallway, with Torr clinging to the top of my head. I headed to the general area of Alyson's locker, and then pretended to turn my head over my shoulder, and waved a good-bye to an imaginary friend.

"Ah!" I had 'tripped' over 'something' and fell on top of poor Alyson, also known as Kira. "I am _so_ sorry, Aly!" I apologized with an expression of embarrassment on my face. I even felt my cheeks blush and get hot! I was glad that I had sort of a genuine embarrassment along with my phony one. I hadn't planned to fall on top of Alyson… I just wanted to knock her over, so that her books would fall out of place, but apparently I knocked into her so hard that I, myself, fell down too.

"Oh, it's okay, Shina-chan… Just an accident!" Alyson replied with a little smile. Then, I realized I was still on top of her, and hastily rolled off, and then weakly smiled as I stood up, brushing off the little bits of dust on my dark indigo jeans and cable-knit sweater.

"Let me help you pick up your books!" I offered, as I squatted down, on the floor again. I picked up the books closest to me…including the black notebook that was obviously the Death Note. I piled them up, keeping my eyes on the ground, afraid to look up and see the shinigami. Or Alyson's face. I handed the books to Alyson, as I stood up, and I saw that she looked scared. And panicky.

And then…I saw _it. _The shinigami. Raito. I made sure my face looked shocked, and terrified. I screamed, and then forced my own body to quiver and shake. "Look behind you, Alyson!" I yelped. Inside me, I felt a bit relaxed, actually. Raito the shinigami was just as Torr described him. No surprises. He did look scary though, what with the skull head and all. Also, I felt smug. I was a really good actress, and I couldn't believed that I had never done drama before. I joked to myself, _Maybe I should try my luck at the school's Drama Club! Ha ha…_

Alyson was still, locked in place, for a moment. Then, finally, she stood up. I could read her eyes perfectly…she was debating upon what to do.

Her shinigami was as still as a boulder, just staring at me. I averted my gaze from Kira to Raito. "Wh-what's …g-going uh-on…?" I stuttered.

Then, the shinigami grinned, and I gulped. Alyson said, after an awkward moment of pause, "That's Death God. You probably think I'm crazy, but it is. You have to swear you won't tell anyone though. Cuz if you do, you know… and I know…we will both be sent to the nut house."

Alyson did a good job of not revealing much about the shinigami, herself, or their connection. I pretended to be still in a state of shock, so I couldn't make a reply. Some students and teachers asked, "Oh my God! What happened here?! What was that scream about?!"

Alyson gave me a 'look,' as if telling me not to say anything about the shinigami or else. "Oh, uh…nothing!" I replied to the people who stopped by. "I tripped…that was all…"

A male student mumbled, "Geez…why the hell do girls always have to scream like that all the time?!"

I gave him a cold glare before turning back to Alyson. "Okay," I whispered softly. "You…you have to explain more of this later. Like, what it's doing here, how come I didn't see it before, and …and…what's going on!"

Torr muttered to me, still on top of my head, "The shinigami can see me, you know. Just like I can see him. I am certain that he knows about the Life Note. And he probably _did _tell Alyson. Now it's just a matter if you both want to play a game of pretense-ignorance, or if you both want to admit the truth out in the open."

_Game or Truth? Truth or Game? _I wondered. _Both has its pros and cons. If we play the game of pretense, we can go on being 'friends.' What am I saying?! I am just pretending to be her friend, sheesh! Uh… well, what about truth? Well, that might be better because I might be able to convince her to get rid of the Death Note…somehow. Or, it could turn us into worse enemies than before. And it might even make her want to kill more people out of anger and stress…or something weird._

I decided to let Alyson decide. I stared at her, and she stared right back. "We should get to class, Shina-chan…" she said softly. "First period, science right?" She intertwined her arm with mine, and we headed to science together. But, it was different than it was before, when we started this game of the two Notes. That was because I could feel, and now see, Raito trailing and loping on behind us. And I thought that Alyson knew Torr was somewhere nearby, even if she couldn't see him.

Alyson had chosen the Game over the Truth. I came to a simple decision: If she wanted to play a game, I would too. I could play this game. And I could play it well.


	15. Chapter 15: Still Living

We entered the science class, and both Alyson and I acted as if we were a bit disgruntled. We both pretended that we were both a bit…surprised, if anything. We sat down next to each other, and I couldn't help but steal a glance at Raito. He was standing right by the side wall, next to the door, of the science classroom. He was pretty tall, and was about the height of the doorway. There was something ominous about Alyson's shinigami. He looked odd, but so did Torr. But, Torr had a friendly aura. Raito had some… sort of malevolence about him.

Mr. Renman rapped a ruler against his desk to get the noisy students' attention. "Please open to page 174 and read the section silently. Once you are done, come see me, and I will give you your next assignment," instructed Mr. Renman with raw authority. He sat back down at his large wooden desk, and then flipped open his white binder to take attendance.

I longed to talk to Alyson, and see how far she wanted to lie. Maybe, she might not lie at all, and explain what her true intent with the Death Note was. Torr was still clinging to the top of my head, and he hissed, "Now what?! You can see the shinigami now… So, think! Could this help our situation at all? You and Kira aren't really doing anything much different than before. So what's the point?"

I didn't bother to answer Torr, but I wished he would stay quiet so I could actually read my science textbook. I was still living. I had school. I was basically a normal teenager, except for the fact that I had a big responsibility on my hands. I was preoccupied with my own thoughts, even if I tried not to think at all. _Torr's right. Just seeing Raito isn't going to help… wait! But, then, that means I can hear him talk! If, that is, he can talk… Well, I'm sure shinigami can talk, just like Life Gods. Raito seems pretty quiet though… I haven't actually heard him say anything. _I could just imagine the voice that might emerge from his bony jaw: a raspy, hideous sound… I shook off my fantasies though; I was just being stereotypical. _I can't wait 'til school's out; I can start writing more names into the Life Note. Ah! I can't believe how many people there are out there! Singers, politicians, movie stars, news reporters, and tons of other people! I think I've covered everyone at school that I know. And everyone that Dad works with. Gah! I really need to concentrate on reading this lesson… _

I forced my eyes to stare at the textbook, and I attempted to read. Once all my distracted thoughts were out of my head, I set to the task to reading my science textbook. I soaked up the information, but my mind kept on wandering. My mind kept on fidgeting about Kira, and also about my Life Note. The Life Note, in a way, 'gives life.' But I still had my own life to worry about! I had school. And learning to do. But, I also had to concentrate on the Life Note. Sometimes I wished I could separate the two.

Torr noticed, and he hopped onto my textbook, his gooey body jiggling like gelatin. "Shina… You _do_ think that this Life Note is a burden to you, don't you?" he said.

I laid my head onto my textbook, nestled between my arms, Torr oozing out of the way. I whispered into my book, "Torr…It may be a burden, but it's the good type. Sometimes, hardships are good. They point toward a better tomorrow, right? So, it's fine."

Torr whispered back, into my left ear, "You can give up the Life Note at any time."

"Huh?"

"You can give up ownership of the Life Note. You can just pass it to someone else. But, if you do, I shall have to erase your memories of the Life Note," Torr explained gently.

I shook my head fiercely, lifted my head up. "No…" I breathed. "I want to keep the Life Note. I want to help the world – myself! I _can_ make a difference!"

"Excuse me, Shina, but could you make a difference quietly?" Mr. Renman glared at me from behind his round glasses. I had said that last sentence really loudly, apparently. I blushed and nodded, looking down back at my book.

"I am so sorry, Mr. Renman!" I apologized, without looking at my teacher.

"No more talking, or else you'll get a demerit!" he said forcibly. I let out a long sigh; life was still life. And I was still at risk of getting in trouble, even though I was a very good student.

"And do I hear whispering back there?! Yes, you two girls. Cara and Jenny! Stop your talking at once! You two are disobeying class rules!" Mr. Renman yelled. He was louder than the people who were 'disobeying class rules.' The two whispering girls halted, not wanting to get demerits, or worse, detentions. Mr. Renman sighed, and whispered something incomprehensibly under his breath.

I read my textbook, forcing myself to concentrate. My mind churned aggressively, devouring the information from the textbook. I was so glad that my brain had been kind enough to push the Life Note and Kira stuff to the back, to storage, until later. I was grateful. It was almost as if the Life Note was just a casual thing. _For now, I'm at school, working hard. Everything else can wait, _I thought. Torr climbed back onto my head, which he relished as a comfortable seat. I guess my shampoo_ did_ do its job after all.


	16. Chapter 16: Reflections

Time passed by quickly, and soon, it was the beginning of April. True as the saying goes, with April, brings plentiful rain. I hated the rain. It dripped down under a sky of bleak, old grey… and the wetness was horrible. I didn't like the puddles. At all.

Anyways, Torr clung to the top of my head as I ran from the school bus to the school's entrance. As I got inside, I shivered slightly; that little run had soaked my hair and clothes. My black sweatshirt was damp, and my black hair was clinging to my scalp and neck. My light-washed jeans seemed heavy with every step I took. And then…

"Hey, Shina-chan!"

That was what I least wanted to hear at the moment. I sucked in a deep breath, and slowly turned around. It was Alyson. I knew it the moment the first word escaped her lips.Lately, we acted as if we were best buddies. Everyone around us – the teachers, my classmates, and our families – all thought of us as best friends now. To be frank, I was getting a bit sick of this game we were playing. It wasn't like I could talk to her about the Death Note. Every time I tried to have a serious conversation about it, she would change the subject. Or make up stuff that I knew were lies. Like "Oh, we're both going insane. I am sure we're both crazy. We should stick together and help each other through this." Or, "I forgot about that! It's as if the shinigami never existed. Right, Raito?"

And speaking of Raito… his presence never failed to frighten me. He was like a looming rain cloud. Whenever Alyson was nearby, he was too. And I still couldn't stand the ominous feeling that seemed to follow him. Torr seemed to hate him, too. Alyson had not mentioned anything about her knowledge of the Life Note, however. And, she had not stopped using the Death Note.

Even as I tried to use the Life Note, more and more criminals seemed to appear. And, more names came up on the Internet, and on the television screens. Kira kept on beating me in a race of time. Criminals were still dying of mysterious heart attacks. I dreaded watching the news, mainly because of all the stuff about Kira-worshippers. There had been more and more Kira-worshippers rising. And, since my father was in the police force again… Well, I just felt so bad for him! He left Japan because of the Kira case, and now, he's involved in a new Kira case. There was no end to this misery.

I tended to hear my mother arguing with my father. She wanted him to quit the Kira case, but he refused. I wasn't sure why he didn't quit this time, but I think it was because he felt he let down the NPA the first time. And now, he didn't want to let down the police force. He wanted to be of help, and do something noble I guess. I wasn't afraid that my father would die, considering the fact that it was impossible. But I knew that my mom and Akako would be worried. I occasionally longed to tell my family all about the Life Note, but I knew I couldn't. If they didn't think I was crazy, I would still probably get in trouble.

I wondered how much the police, and the government, knew about the Death Note. I doubted they knew anything about the Life Note, since Torr said it was a fairly new installment, but if they _did_ know about the Death Note…wouldn't that mean they would find out about the Life Note too? I also wondered if my father knew anything about the Death Note. If he did, he wouldn't dare tell his family. It was private information. Nevertheless, I wished he would share information on the investigation. That might have helped me. A lot. I only learned about the Death Note through Torr, or from observing Alyson and Raito. And Alyson was hard to observe. She was smart; I could tell she had a plan. She talked to me with confidence, and didn't reveal anything that could really help me. Raito didn't talk much, either. And when he did, he whispered in Alyson's ear so softly that I couldn't hear. And there was no point in asking what he was saying, because I could predict Alyson's answer. A lie, no doubt, or just ignoring me. Or, changing the subject.

Now, back to what was going on. Enough of my inner reflections. Alyson greeted me, and I replied with the friendliest smile I could muster, "Hi, Aly-san!"

Raito's deep, black hollow sockets sometimes flickered with glowing red. His freaky eyes always creeped me out. I shivered as he seemed to stare at me.

"You still haven't gotten used to my shinigami?" Alyson asked. "I got used to him like a week after he appeared! Right, my Raito?"

Raito nodded, "Yes."

He seemed a bit annoyed that Alyson was making it sound like he was her pet or something. I was surprised that I could even define emotion in a shinigami. In my mind, I reflected on all that had happened so far, since I got the Life Note. Torr was on my head, mumbling about how he couldn't figure out where to go from here. And honestly, I wasn't sure either. Alyson and I were 'friends,' but also 'enemies.'_ How can we be both?! _I wondered. _That's like humanly impossible! Er…then again, do we count as humans anymore? Even if we do… shinigami and Life Gods are involved. What am I supposed to do now? Be her 'friend' and try to trick her into giving out more info about the Death Note? Or have her explain more of her intentions? I am not sure if she's trying to create a utopia or if she's just bored and having fun. Then again, she could be doing something completely different. What are Kira's intentions? And why? And, does she want to see Torr or not? She hasn't mentioned anything about the Life Note yet… What shall I do?!_

A/N: I am getting a bit of a Writer's Block for this story. xD;; So, yeah... I don't want to just halt the story all together, but I'm not sure if I want to make it end soon. I may not post a new chapter for a while. If you have any suggestions, please review or message me! Thanks!


	17. Chapter 17: Apples

_Someone, whose back was to me, opened a notebook. A black notebook. From his back view, I could tell he was a man. He seemed to be wearing some sort of tan-colored school uniform. He had reddish brown hair, and was writing into the notebook with slender fingers. I strained to see what was in it, and although I could not read it directly, I knew what was being written. Peoples' names. Criminals' names, to be exact. And there was a shadowy figure watching the man who was writing. I couldn't see the figure that well, but it was tall and black and white, and was munching on a red apple. The apple's meat crunched satisfactorily. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. In seconds, the red apple was gone. Completely gone._

I woke up with a start, sitting up in my bed with a cold sweat. My eyes were open wide; that dream was probably the most vivid dream I had ever had in ages. I hardly ever remembered my dreams anyways, but I actually remembered that one clearly. I knew exactly why I remembered the dream, too. The night before, I wrote down into the Life Note, "Shina Oshiro – answer the following question in the dreams that she has at night: who was the first Kira?" Since Torr and I were lost at what to do next, I decided that I had to start _somewhere_. I was the first Life Note holder, but who was the first Kira? The first human who had used a Death Note? Whoever the first Kira was was the one who started this whole mess, or at least, created Kira-worshippers. I was almost certain that Alyson wasn't the type to be killing people, even if they were criminals. I often wondered if it was because she liked the indirect 'fame' of being Kira, since there were many avid Kira-worshippers.

"…Shina-chan?" Torr asked as he gazed at me with concern with all five of his shimmering eyes. He was bouncing on my bedside table, and I assumed that he was awake long before I was.

"Oh, sorry…I'm all right," I replied. "I just had a dream; that's all." I suddenly noticed my labored breathing, and forced myself to return to 'normal.' As normal as I could get, anyhow.

"So what you wrote worked, yes?" Torr questioned, knowing there was no need to ask anyways; the Life Note would never fail the holder.

I nodded slowly.

"So…? What did the dream show you?"

"I…I think the first Kira was a man. And he had reddish-brown hair."

"Great. That doesn't help us, now does it? You should have asked a better question…" Torr muttered.

"Well, and shinigamis like apples. Crunchy, red apples."

"Okay…now, that was random!" Torr rolled his eyes. "No offense to your dream, or anything, but I highly doubt we can bribe Raito with apples. I have never even seen him eat any human food in all the time I've observed him."

"Yeah, I haven't seen him eating apples either. Oh well. But even so, that was awesome."

"Apples?"

"No! I meant remembering my dream. I hardly ever remember any of my dreams…" I sighed with a smile.

Torr grumbled, "The Life Note is a child's wishing well."

"Hey! I am using it to help the world, okay? Not as a wishing well!"

Torr suggested, ignoring my yells, "Write down something else. Like, answering a different question for tonight."

"Okay, okay…" I stuck out my tongue teasingly. My pen was clipped to the outside of the Life Note, and I slid it out, opening the book and starting to write.

_Shina Oshiro – answer the following question in the dreams that she has at night: Why does Alyson, Kira, use the Death Note?_

As I wrote "Alyson, Kira," I pictured Alyson's face in my mind to guarantee that the Life Note knew who I was talking about. "Okay! I will just have to wait until tomorrow morning to see what happened in my dreams."

Torr recommended, "Shina, you should keep a dream diary, or something. So you can refer back to it."

"Great idea, Torr!" I patted him on the head, and then leaped out of bed, and opened up one of my desk drawers. I had a blank notebook that I hadn't used yet. It was one of those small, spiral-bound pocket notebooks. This particular one was plain red, and had the words "Memo Book" across the bottom edge of the cover. I flipped it open to the first page, which was lined with straight, dark blue lines and no margins. I wrote with my pen, "Dreams" and underlined it with one hard stroke. Then, I flipped that page, and started jotting down what I had dreamed about on the new page. I added the day's date to the top, and then closed the notebook, tossing it onto the top of my desk.

"Tuesday means school, Shina!" Torr reminded as he saw me pacing around absentmindedly. I was thinking about my dream.

"Okay, okay, I know!" I hastily made my bed, and then ran off to the bathroom to get ready for the day. Torr followed me as far as the door.

I thought, _That was an interesting dream. You never know; it might actually help me in the future. _I giggled, and then pretended to talk to Alyson mentally, _Kira, did you know shinigami eat only apples?_


	18. Chapter 18: Dream

_A girl with curly brown hair sat on a wooden rocking chair, flipping through a manga. She appeared to be twelve or thirteen years old, and younger than what she was now. Her mother and father peeked through the doorway. They looked sad. The mother was a pretty woman, tall and slim, and with blonde, curly hair that went down to her petite shoulders. She had a fair complexion, and bright blue eyes. The father, who stood next to his wife, was tall, with cropped brown hair, and light brown eyes. He whispered to his wife, "Lynda, when shall we tell her?" His wife's eyes blurred, filling with clear tears of pain and sorrow._

"_Oh, Jeff, I really don't know…what…what to do! We _have_ to tell her, though I am not sure if this is the time… We only found out today, after a-alll…" Lynda whispered, her voice breaking._

_Jeff put an arm around his wife's shoulders, and soothed, "It'll be okay, sweetie. Don't worry… But, I think we should tell Alyson. The sooner the better; we need to get it out in the open. She'll think something is different if he doesn't come home tonight; our Aly is a smart girl."_

_Lynda broke into an all-out sob. She faltered, "B-but…Jeff! I-it's…just…not…fa-air…why? Why?!" _

_Jeff hugged Lynda tight as she sobbed into his shoulder. _

_Alyson closed her manga, holding it tight, as she heard her mother's sobs. "What…?" she murmured. "Mom never cries! …In fact, I have never seen her cry before!" Alyson got up from the rocking chair and went to the door, opening it, and then she stood in shock as she saw her mother's back throbbing as she sobbed from within her father's embrace. Her father's polo shirt was soaked in dark tears._

"_What…?!" Alyson's voice trailed off, and her eyes were open wide. She wondered what was going on. Behind her, her rocking chair was slowly creaking, rocking to and fro as it gradually stopped…to a standstill._

"_Oh, why?!" Lynda shrieked. Jeff hugged her closer, and patted her back reassuringly. _

"_Calm down, Lyn… Calm down…" he cooed softly. His voice was calmer than his wife's, but tears started to well up in his own eyes. "We have to tell Aly."_

"_T-tell… me …w-what?" Alyson stuttered, her shaking body proof of her fright. Her right hand clutched her manga closer, the fingers digging into the book covers until they hurt._

"_Your…y-your…" Lynda's make-up was smeared and wet with tears, the rivers of heartbreaking liquid streaming down her cheeks. "Your…" Lynda couldn't finish the sentence._

_A few tears escaped Jeff's eyes as he said slowly, "Your…"_

"_My what?!" Alyson was growing more impatient by the second. And frightened. Her right hand was sore from clamping onto her manga._

"_Your brother is dead."_

_Alyson dropped her manga, the book falling to the floor in a tangle of pages. As the book hit the ground, and muffled_ 'flap'_ was made. Alyson was speechless. She mangaged to choke out, "Wh-what…Dad…What do you…you…mean?" Alyson forced herself to laugh nervously. Then, her laughter grew a bit, becoming a little bit more hearty than when she had started. "Is this a joke? Haha…"_

_Then, _bam! _Alyson winced, a searing pain burning in her cheek. Her mother had slapped her. Alyson touched her left cheek tenderly with an index finger, speechless. Her laughs stopped abruptly as her mother's hand made contact with her face. She couldn't believe it. _

"_H-how…could you laugh?! This isn't…it isn't…a laughing matter! How dare you laugh?! Alden died! Dear, dear Alden…died!" Lynda screeched._

_Alyson flinched at her mother's sharp, cutting voice. "S-sorry…" Alyson mumbled. "How…did he die?" She wished her parents were joking, but it was obvious they weren't. Furthermore, why would they joke about something as depressing as death?! It was so out of the blue… That morning, her brother had played cards with her, and then…he was gone without warning! It wasn't possible. But, yet, it happened._

_Jeff took a deep, steadying breath…And then, he explained slowly and grimly, "Alden was in a store… when someone came in with a gun… and shot random people. Alden was killed… by a gunshot fired by a psychopath."_

_Alyson's jaw dropped. She knew that people were killed by these sorts of things in real life, but she just didn't expect it to happen to someone close to her… It seemed impossible for her brother to be killed by a psychopath. Alyson felt her cheeks burn with anger and grief, and then tears dribbled down from her eyes. She cried, and ran into her parents' open arms. The family all wept together. _

_Alyson mumbled, so softly that her parents couldn't hear, "I…I…hope Kira comes back… kills that psycho!" Little did Alyson know that she, herself, would become the Kira who would execute the killer who took her brother's life away._

I sat up in her bed, my eyes wide. "Wh-what…?!" I felt tears fall from my eyes, and I wiped them away instantaneously.

"Shina-chan!" Torr was suddenly on my lap, looking up at me with his five eyes. "What happened?!"

"I…had a dream. No, not any dream…I had _the_ dream."

"The reason for Alyson's use of the Death Note?"

"I think so…" I slowly answered.

"You _think_ so?!" Torr demanded.

I sighed, and said, "Well…the dream didn't just give me the answer straight out… But, it showed me something. Something from Alyson's past. Something…horrible."

"Well, what are you waiting for?! Tell me, tell me!" Torr bobbed up and down anxiously.

"Just read over my shoulder…" I muttered as I got out of bed, and rushed to my desk to grab a pen and my dream notebook.

"Ah!" Torr yelped as he fell to the ground.

"Sorry," I apologized without really meaning it much. The Life God glared at me, and I picked him up, placed him on my head, and then sat on my cushy bed, beginning to write about my dream.

A/N: Okay, here's another chapter of Life Note! I hope my readers enjoy this one. I decided to dedicate most of this chapter to a dream, so I hope no one got bored. xD;; I wanted to show Alyson's personal hatred for criminals. Alyson and Alden were very, very close. And, I didn't have a place to write this, but Alden is her older brother. He always looked after her...and well, I hope I can write more about him in the future! Thank you for reading this far!


	19. Chapter 19: Kira Worshippers

After writing my dream, Torr didn't seem that surprised by what he read. "That makes sense," he said. "That must be Alyson's reason for hating criminals so much."

"Yeah," I agreed sadly. I felt bad for Alyson; I pitied her even. And the scariest thing was that I could relate to her; if something like that happened to my sister of Akako, and I had the Death Note instead of the Life Note…well, let's just say I would probably do the same thing as Kira. I shuddered, so glad that Akako was alive and well, and I had the Life Note, not the Death Note, in my power. Then, my thoughts wandered to the earlier death of Miss Tarson. _Hm…I guess that was caused by accident? She might have not believed the true power of the Death Note, and just tested it out or something. Or, maybe Alyson is the kind of person who would kill criminals, and anyone she has a grudge against?_

"But, even if she has a personal resent towards criminals, that is no reason to go about killing them all," Torr said with a sigh. He seemed to know how I seemed to feel bad for Kira. "And, I am assuming that the 'return of Kira' has gotten the Kira-worshippers pretty worked up?"

"Mmhmm…" I replied, reaching for the remote control, and turning on the television. "See?" I said. "Stuff about Kira is all over the news lately." On the television screen was a 'special report' on the latest Kira incidents. Even as I worked hard with my Life Note, there were always more criminals popping up! All over the world! _Why must there be so many criminals?! It's hard work trying to protect them all… and why do they have to be so public?! Damn it… _I wondered, shaking my head bitterly.

Torr watched the television with interest, and pointed with a squiggly finger as he noted, "There are quite a lot of Kira-worshippers." On the screen, a news anchor was interviewing a family of Kira-worshippers.

"All of our family friends, and all our neighbors, are Kira-worshippers!" a woman said with a grin. "And we're proud of it! We always knew that Kira would come back!"

"Yes!" agreed the woman's husband. "We had faith, and we prayed, and Kira came back!"

A little boy, who appeared to be around the age of ten or eleven sang out, "Kira is awesome! He takes down all the bad guys! He's like a superhero!"

The news anchor asked with a good-natured laugh, "My, you are a Kira-worshipper too?"

The little boy nodded enthusiastically, and cheered.

The news reported moved on to her next question: "What caused you to support Kira?"

The father of the child was the one to answer, saying, "When Kira was around, the crime rates decreased by a great amount! And, criminals who were not rightfully punished died by the hand of Kira! It puts my mind, and many others' minds, at great ease!" The man gestured at his dear son and continued, "Now, I can live in less fear for Toby. I can let him wander around, and know that kidnappers and other criminals won't hurt him. And if they do, Kira will get revenge for us all!"

The mother smiled, and hugged her son, Toby. She murmured, "Yes! It brings a mother so much joy to know that her child will be safer in a new world. Kira will bring about a new world someday. A world without crime."

The news anchor then inquired, "How long do you predict it will take for this 'new world' to be brought about? And, do you think Kira will ever 'leave' again?"

"I cannot make those predictions. They lie in the hands of Kira," the mother replied. "I can, however, say that Kira will create a new world someday! It could be in a month, or perhaps a few years. But, it _will_ happen." The woman's eyes shimmered and fluctuated with sheer determination and faith. "I don't think Kira will leave, but if he does, he will surely return! Kira is justice!"

The father and the son nodded their heads earnestly.

"All right then! We'll be back right after the commercial break with more of this interview with a family of Kira-worshippers. This is part of our Kira special. Stay right where you are!" The news anchorwoman flashed a grin, and then, the scene changed to a commercial for toothpaste. I turned off the TV with a press of a button, and then put away the remote control.

"Too bad there are no worshippers for you, Shina-chan!" Torr joked with a chortle.

I glared at him darkly and replied, "Don't say that! I don't want any worshippers, okay?! I am not a God, and neither is Kira. I don't want worshippers. I just want to help save the world against the evil that is Kira! Kira is _not_ justice. Kira is the worst sort of crime. A cowardly serial killer. A mass murderer with an uncanny power." I lost all sense of pity for Alyson that I had gathered before.

Torr was a bit taken aback by my glares and such, but he shrugged it off, hopping onto my dresser table as I opened up my laptop and my Life Note, uncapping a blue pen, and turning on my laptop. Now, I needed to continue my hard work of defeating Kira. The progress was slow, and I knew it, but I also knew that eventually, Kira would not be so lucky. She would have trouble finding criminals to kill, and hopefully, the Kira-worshippers would start losing their faith. What good is Kira if most of the major criminals stay alive? I smirked to myself; the Life Note _was _powerful. More powerful than anyone could know, even myself. It could save lives, grant one psychic powers, and even grant magical powers that defy the law of science. And I had that power.

**A/N:** I thank anyone and everyone who has read this far into my story! So, thank you. I didn't think I would get this far, since this was my first fanfiction. Anyhow, I am not sure how much farther I can go. I am starting to get writer's block. xD;; I am not sure if you can tell or not. Anyways, please review! And, I will gladly accept any constructive criticism and/or any ideas and suggestions! If I do not update for a while, it is not because I have ended the story. It's because of Writer's Block. So, please keep that in mind. Check my profile for information on this fanfiction if you wish.


	20. Chapter 20: Lunch

At school the following day, I sat down on the cafeteria table seat that was closest to an open window. A light breeze blew in, ruffling my dark black hair. The skies were cloudy outside, and the clouds were thick and gray. I guessed that it would rain that afternoon, or that evening. Even so, I felt at peace. The breeze was calming and gentle, and I almost forgot about my hour of writing names into the Death Note that morning. I let out a relaxed sigh with my eyes fluttering closed. My Life Note was in a sewn-in hidden pocket on the inside of my denim jacket. It was much easier to hide my Life Note during school like this. I decided to not use the Life Note during school, and just bring it with me to be safe. Torr was sitting on my lap, invisible to everyone but me. He bounced up and down and his gooey body fluctuated and wobbled. He watched me eat quietly.

I sipped my skim milk, and nibbled at my sandwich. I wondered to myself if Torr was hungry, but shrugged it off; he was a Life God. _Why would he be hungry? _I thought with a giggle.

Then, my tranquility was shaken and shattered as I heard someone sit down beside me. I looked down at my lap, where Torr was, not bothering to look up.

"Hey, Shina-chan!" a tinkly voice sounded. I knew who it was. It was Kira. Alyson.

I had no choice but to force a laugh out and reply, "Hi, Aly!" Raito was standing behind Alyson. He still scared the heck out of me, as usual. He gave off a dark and evil feeling, and I had to struggle not to shiver or flinch. His goggles on the top of his head reflected the school's bright lights. I tore my eyes away from the freaky shinigami, and instead, looked directly at Alyson. Her curly brown hair was tied into two cute low pigtails today. She looked so innocent, but I knew she was still a murderer, even if she had a 'reason' for killing. Her motive may sound reasonable to some people, and I_ did_ feel bad for her, but I also knew what she was doing was a crime. I was on the side of justice, and therefore, I had a duty to fight crime. Besides, there were other solutions to problems and grief besides murder and death. "What's up?" I asked.

"Nothing much," Alyson replied with a grin. "Hey, over here!" she called over her shoulder as she waved an arm..

Then, much to my dismay, Alyson beckoned some of her other friends over to my table. _What the hell?! _I thought to myself with an annoyed attitude. I never really liked too many people sitting near me. Then again, I didn't have _that_ many friends during my life so far. I had some acquaintances, sure, and Alyson… but I Alyson was more of an enemy. And a fake friend. Anyhow, some of Alyson's friends said "hi" to me, and I smiled. They were acting nice, and I had to return the kindness…so I would look good, at least.

Sitting around me were Alyson and her friends. Alyson was on my left, and a girl named Kathleen to my right. Then, on the other side of the table were a few boys. Darrin was sitting across from me, and Carter was sitting across from Alyson. Across from Kathleen sat Bryan. The only reason I knew all of their names was that Alyson had introduced me to them before. All their full names were already written into my Life Note. I doubted Alyson would kill her own friends…but, you really never know. She could very well be faking her friendship with them, as she was with me. She wasn't a true friend to me, and I knew it. She was Kira, and I was totally against Kira. We could never be real friends. It just wasn't possible.

Kathleen laughed at a joke that Darrin told. I hadn't heard the joke, because I was not paying much attention, but apparently Torr found it amusing. He was rolling about in my lap hooting with laughter. I forced myself to giggle as naturally as possible. Alyson giggled beside me too, and shouted, "Good one, Darrin! 'The window,' I get it!" It was something involving a window, apparently.

Bryan and Carter exchanged quick, silly glances, and then Bryan said, "Hey, we know a funny joke too!" I didn't pay attention to their second joke either, and instead, my eyes wandered over to the shinigami, Raito. He was staring out the window, but his gaze wasn't directed at anything. It was directed at…nothing. He was just staring blankly. I couldn't help but shudder. Then, he turned his bony head in my direction, and I quickly turned back to my lunch, finishing my peanut butter sandwich hurriedly. Then, I slurped down my milk, and got up from my seat with Torr clinging to my denim jacket.

"I'm throwing out my lunch," I explained to everyone as I walked away. After tossing out my paper bag with all my trash, I strolled back to my seat, sitting down.

This was probably the most talkative lunch I've ever had, actually. The people sitting around me chattered and laughed, and I felt like a normal teenager. I_ was _a normal teenager, I supposed. The only thing that wasn't so normal was the Life Note that was in my life. I sucked in a deep breath, and decided, for once, to just let go and let loose. _I should just enjoy myself_, I thought. _There's no point in ignoring everything besides the Life Note and schoolwork. I deserve some down-time, after all! _

"Hey, want an apple?" Alyson asked as she held out a glossy red apple out to me.

"Sure!" I replied with a smile, accepting the apple and taking a bite out of it. The _crunch_ sounded loud, and the taste was juicy and delicious. "You don't want it?" I asked.

"Well, it's a bit late to ask," Alyson responded with a laugh. "But, no. It's okay. I'm full already."

Kathleen asked, "Shina, have you studied for that algebra test next week?"

"Yeah," I trilled proudly. "I already started studying! But, not _that_ much."

The boys laughed and noted that none of them had studied yet. "Wow, you're a good student!" Kathleen complimented.

"Thanks," I replied. Then, I took another bite out of my apple.

"I guess I should start studying soon…" Alyson said with a sheepish tug of one of her pigtails. Kathleen and the boys chortled softly, and then I joined in the cheery laughter. I completely ignored Raito, and even Torr. Not that Torr was doing much. He was just sitting and watching what was going on around him.

And that was my almost-normal lunch in the mixed-up, demented world that I live in.

* * *

**A/N**: Wow, it's already Chapter Twenty! I would like to thank all the loyal readers who have read this far! Please do continue reading, and reviewing. Also, I am open to suggestions and ideas. I am not exactly sure where to take the plot line, so, I may run into major Writer's Block soon.


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